Otto j



(l\I0 1\[0del.) 4 SheetsSheet 1.

G. NERAOHER, Decdfl V 0. J. FREY, Administrator. VALVE MECHANISM FOR FIRE BXTINGUISHING SYSTEMS.

(No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 2.

G. NERAGHER, Decd,

0. J. FR'EY, Administrator. VALVE MECHANISM FOR FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEMS.

Patente O. NERAGHE-R, Deo'd,

4. Sheets-Sheet 3 (No Model.)

0. J. FREY, Adl ninistrator. VALVE MECHANISM FOR FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEMS.

Patented Feb. 5, 1895.

'(No; Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

' G, NERAGHER, Decd.

. 0. J. FREY, Administrator. VALVE MEGHANISMPOR FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEMS.

No. 533,824. g mtemed Feb. 5, 1896.

HH IIU 1 11. k 1 munmnil UNITED STATES PATENT OEricE.

CHARLES NERAOHER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO; OTTO J. FREY ADMINISTRATOR OF SAID CHARLES NERAOHER, DECEASED.

VALVE MECHANISM FOR FIRE-EXTINGUISHING SYSTEMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 533,824, dated February 5, 1895.

Application filed February 23, 1894. Serial No. 501,246. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES NERAonER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve Mechanism for Fire-EXtinguishing Systems, of which the following is a specification.

In many dry pipe fire extinguishing sys- IO terns it has been customary to control the main Water supply valve by a piston connected therewith and adapted to receive the pressure from the airin the pipes of the building. This piston arrangement necessitates I 5 complication of parts, requires stuffi ng boxes, glands and cylinders producing great friction and liability to corrosion and rendering the valve mechanism unreliable and insensitive to the initial pressure of the water when the air pressure is reduced.

My object is to produce a valve mechanism free from complication of parts as above noted, to get a direct action of the air pressure on the rear side of the main water valve as well as on the pressure head connected therewith to avoid sliding parts and to provide means whereby the valve when opening will be locked at its difierent stages or degrees of movement against closing in order 3o to prevent the back pressure from reseating it and to arrange both the valve and its supplemental pressure head on a swinging lever to secure an easy action and sensitive arrangement.

My invention also includes, a removable plug arranged so that access may be had readily to the valves with a suitable tool for drawing the same tightly to their seats and means to insure the proper replacing of the said removable plug after the valves are seated in order to prevent escape of water when the mechanism is operated and the water is flowing through the system.

Further the invention includes an alarm device which will be operated when the water is let in or when the water accumulates in the valve chamber due to leakage of the valve.

The invention also includes means bywhich the valve mechanism may be covered with water after being set so as to prevent rusting.

In the drawings :-Figure 1, is a central vertical section. Fig. 2, is a plan with parts broken away. Fig. 3, is an end view from the right of Fig. 1. Fig. 3*, is an end view from the left of Fig. 1. Figs. i, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, are views of details. Figs. 10 and 11, are views of a modified arrangement of valve. Figs. 12 and 13 are views of further details. The Water inlet of the valve casing l is shown at 2 having a valve seat ring 3 upon which rests the rubber packing 4 of the main valve 5 held thereto by the ring 6 and screw 7. The valve is of disk form and it extends lat orally beyond the rubber packing and thus it presents a larger area for the action of the water at opening of valve which will render certain and forcible the action of the valve. The connection to the dry pipe is shown at 7 and it will be seen that the valve is acted upon directly by this air pressure tending to keep it closed. The valve is pivotally connected by ears 7 to a lever 8 pivoted at 9 in a lateral recess of the casing and said valve has limited pivotal movement in order to adapt itself to its seat under pressure. The pivotal movement is limited on one side by direct contact with the lever and on the other side by contact with a lug projecting down from the lever. At the free end of the lever a pressure head 9 is pivoted by ears l0 and this head is of disk form and has a rubber flangeprojecting therefrom and held bya ring 11 and screws 12. This flange is adapted to bear on a seat ring 13 within the case and like the valve it is adapted to have limited piv- 8 5 otal movement to adapt itself to its seat, the movement being limited on one side by the lever and on the other side by contact with a finger 14, projecting from the end of the lever. This pressure head also receives the air 0 pressure directly and being on the extreme end of the lever a great leverage is secured which added to the direct pressure on the valve will hold the same securely on its seat against the water pressure.

No guiding means are necessary for the parts as in the case of the piston arrangement referred to and as all the parts swing instead of slide the frictional resistance is reduced to a minimum.

The space under the pressure head is drained of any leakage or any water remaining therein through a valve 13 working in a boxing 14 screwed into the casing of the valve mechanism. The valve is on a stem 15 movable through the boxing and a spring 16 serves to force the valve up and keep it normally open. When, however,the mechanism is operated and the pressure head lifted the pressure of the water in the casing-will be sufficient to force the drain valve to its seat and prevent the escape of water. Connected pivotally with the end of the swinging lever is the lock bar 17, extending up into the supplemental casing 18 fixed on the main casing. This lock barhas an incline 19 between which and an incline 20 on the interior of the cats ing a roller 21 fits. The incline surfaces converge downwardly. The lock bar is guided by spurs 22 projectinglaterally from the sides thereof into contact with the walls of the easing, said casing having an open side with a cover 23 fitted thereto provided with a projecting portion which partially fills the space in the supplemental casing and forms a guide way for the lock bar upon which the lugs bear. When the valve begins to open the space in which theroller is located widens out and the roller begins to fall and reverse or downward movement of the lock bar, should the valve tend to close, will cause the roller to clutch the lock bar and lock the same in its moved position to hold the valve thus far open and resist any tendency of the back pressure of the water from closing the same. The valve will thus be held in its various stages of opening movement and prevented from closing. This is a material advantage as the back pressure is more liable to close the valve at the start than when the valve is entirely open.

The parts may be unlocked and reset by simply removing a small cover 25, Fig. 3, and operating the roller from its locked position.

In the upward movement of the lock bar an inclined shoulder 26 strikes the arm 27 Within the casing and this arm is moved pivotally so that the contact 28 carried on its outer end is thrown into engagement with the contact spring 29 on the outside of the case thus closing the circuit and sounding the alarm. The arm 27 is bent at right angles at 27f and extends through a rubber disk 2.) held in an opening or seat 30 in the casing by a screw ring 31, said arm having a shoulder-32 for the rubber disk and a nut and washer 33 to clamp the washer and arm together. This washer being yielding a pivotal action is secured and yet a perfectly air tight and water tight joint ing locked in this position and thus causing leakage. The flange of the pressure head being flexible this part may yield and thus allow the main water valve to be firmly seated under the air pressure.

I do not wish to limit myself to the valves formed separately and attached to the lever as said valve disk and pressure head may be integral with the lever or connected rigidly thereto, and this form is shown in Figs. 10 and 11 in which the rubber packing 4 is held to the integral part 36 of the valve disk by the screw ring 37. The rubberflange of the pressure head is attached in a similar way and all the other parts are the same as those described.

It will be noticed that the boxing or plug 14 is removable and by taking this out the stem of the tool Figs. 12 and 13 can be introduced through the opening and its threaded end engaged with the threaded opening 51 in the central lower face of the valve 9 so that by turning this tool, the valves may be drawn firmly to their seats and so held until the system is filled with air when said valves will be held down by the air pressure. The screw 50 passes through the bar 51 which bears on the boss about the opening. After the air pressure is put on and the valves are held thereby strongly on their seats, th'e screw is removed and in order to prevent the person operating the valve from neglecting to replace the box or plug 14, through forgetfulness or carelessness I have provided a channel 52 extending from the inlet 2 through the valve casing and opening out through the face of the boss upon which the plate 51 and the flange of the boss 14 bear and should the operator fail to replace the box and screw it firmly to its seat, the water will squirt out through the channel 52 and thus act as a signal to show that the box is not properly in place. It is essential that the box be replaced properly for otherwise when the valves are lifted and the water is let into the system part of the water would escape through the opening left by the box and thus reduce the pressure in the system.

An opening is formed at 53 through which the system may be drained into any suitable drain pipe connected therewith.

At 55 a plug is screwed through the valve wall and this carries two contact points 56 passing through conical depressions 57 filled with rubber or some insulating material which will serve as a non-conductor and which will give a water tight joint around the wires. The valve mechanism I propose to keen imalarm. This alarm may be used as a supplemental alarm to the main alarm above described for indicating leakage. It will, however, also act when the water is let into the system through the operation of the valve.

In Fig. 3 a channel 57 leads from the inlet or below the valve 5 to the valve box 58 screwed through the side of the casing above the water valve 5 and from this valve box the water passes into the casing through the port 59 so that the casing may be filled with water up to the drain opening and thus the valve mechanism will be submerged and prevented from rusting, it being understood that the water is let in through this channel only after the valve mechanism is seated.

The inlet port 59 is controlled by the valve 60 provided with a rubber face 61. The stem is screw threaded at 62 and passes through the stuffing box 68, having a handle 6i at its outer end.

The valve is closed normally and is only opened long enough to partly fill the casing after the valve mechanism is set.

I claim- 1. In combination, the valve casing, the main water valve, with its seat, the pressure head, both of said parts being arranged in the same casing and at different points therein and exposed to the direct pressure of air from the dry pipe, the connection between the valve and pressure head, the said pressure head being in the form of a valve and the seat therefor in the casing against which the head bears when under pressure.

2. In combination, the valve casing, the water valve, the lever carrying the same, said valve being arranged to receive the air pressure directly and the pressure head also connected to and carried directly by the lever independently of the valve and arranged also to receive the air pressure, substantially as described.

3. In combination, the casing, the main water valve, therein, the pressure head, said head being arranged to receive the air pressure,

the pivoted lever carrying the pressure head at or near its end and carrying the main water valve between the same and its pivot, substantially as described.

4. In combination, the casing, the main water valve, the pressure head and the pivoted lever pivotally carrying at diderent points of its length said valve and pressure head, substantially as described.

5. In combination, the casing, the main water valve, the pressure head, the seat therefor, the air pipe to force the main valve and the pressure head to their seats the connection from said head to the valve and the drain valve below the pressure head, within the valve seat and on the side opposite to the air pipe substantially as described.

6. In combination, the casing, the main water valve the means for controlling the same and the locking means for locking the said valve at the different stages of its opening movement consisting of the wedge shaped lock bar, the incline on the casing and the locking roller substantially as described.

7. In combination, the casing, the main valve, the lever carrying the same, the lock bar connected to and moving with the lever and having the inclined surface and the looking roller, substantially as described.

8. In combination, the casing, the main valve, the pressure head, the lever carrying said parts at different points and the lock bar carried by the lever, substantially as described.

9. In combination, the casing, the rubber disk held therein the valve mechanism, the electric contacts and the lever or arm extending through the said disk to operate the circuit closer said arm being arranged to be operated by the movement of the valve mechchanism, substantially as described.

10. In combination, the casing, the valve, the pressure head, the reciprocating lock bar, the lever carrying said parts and the circuit closing arm arranged in the path of the lock bar to be moved thereby, substantially as described.

11. In combination, the casing, the valve, the wedge lock bar connected therewith and having a seat in its inclined face and the roller fitted to said seat to permit slight movement of the valve and lock bar before clutching the same, said casing having its wall adapted to co-operate with the roller and lock bar substantially as described.

12. In combination in a fire extinguisher system, the main water valve, the pressure head arranged to receive the air pressure and the swinging support for the said parts, extending between them and connected thereto at different points substantially as described.

13. In combination, the valve casing, the valves, the removable box or plug adapted to permit access to the valve to seat the same, and the channel 52 extending from the water supply to the seat of the removable plug and adapted to be uncovered for the escape of the water by the removal of the plug, sub tially as described.

In testimony whereof Iaftix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES NEBAGH'ER.

IIO 

